The European Commission says talks are still ongoing with US authorities over a possible extension of the large personal electronic device (PED) ban.
While the statement, issued late May 30, did not specifically refer to the PED restrictions, this is understood to be the topic of the transatlantic discussions.
“Today, the commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, and the commissioner for transport, Violeta Bulc, had a positive and constructive phone conversation with US secretary for homeland security, John Kelly. Both sides agreed to intensify talks, both at [the] technical and political level, to find common solutions to mitigate potential threats to aviation security and work together to step up security requirements. No conclusion was reached today and no new announcement was made,” the Commission said.
The body added that the European Union and US will continue with “clear lines of communication” and “strong cooperation.”
In late March, US authorities suddenly introduced a ban on PEDs larger than a smartphone in the cabin on flights from 10 airports in eight countries. The UK immediately implemented similar restrictions, affecting direct flights to the UK from six countries. The UK and US target countries and airports are not the same.
Several of the affected carriers—including Dubai-based Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines—are offering work-around solutions, loaning devices so passengers can continue to work inflight.
The ban has raised serious safety concerns—voiced by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the FAA, pilots and industry experts—over the risk of stowing large numbers of lithium-ion battery-powered devices in the hold, where they are inaccessible in the event of fire.
Airlines and airports have also warned of significant operational disruption as a result of the additional measures, not to mention the impact on competition, which has been highlighted by IATA and through network cuts at Emirates.
Various industry bodies, including the Arab Air Carriers Organization and IATA have called for greater clarity on the ban.
sources:ATW
